


Caught

by JGoose13



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Hope I did them justice!, Lucy and Tim are found out, That's just my default now I guess, Tim learns about Nolan and Lucy, Tumblr Prompts, Unbeta-ed, as usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JGoose13/pseuds/JGoose13
Summary: Lucy Chen prided herself on her intelligence, common sense, and forthright thinking.When it came to Tim Bradford and the way he kissed, well… you couldn’t blame a girl for a lapse in judgement.
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 11
Kudos: 96





	Caught

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to hopefulpatrolnight and beecckkyy16 over on Tumblr for their separate prompts. I hope I did them decent justice! I thought it'd be kind of interesting to throw these two prompts together, and this was the result!
> 
> As always, this fic is unbeta-ed, so... my bad?

Lucy Chen prided herself on her intelligence, common sense, and forthright thinking. 

When it came to Tim Bradford and the way he kissed, well… you couldn’t blame a girl for a lapse in judgement. 

Normally, they weren’t handsy in public. They were trying to keep a low profile because Tim was still technically her T.O. (but really only for a few more days, and honestly, he’d stopped training her at least two weeks ago and let her take point), and if it got out that she was sleeping with her immediate supervisor well… goodbye reputation. 

Why she allowed herself to be with Tim now, and not an appropriate amount of time after she was off probation, she’d never know, but the guy just did not make it easy for her. Not to mention, he’d surprised her by initiating. She would’ve thought straight-laced, by-the-book Tim Bradford would have told her to wait. 

Guess he was just as affected by her, as she was by him.

Which is what got them into their current predicament: John Nolan and Jackson West standing three feet away, gaping at what they’d just witnessed. 

_ Making out _ . 

Lucy and Tim had been making out in one of the very empty, abandoned interview rooms… at 1 a.m. in the morning after processing an arrest. 

Why had she let herself have this moment of weakness, again? 

Oh, right, because Tim’s stupidly sexy smirk, that’s why. 

“Um…”

“What in the  _ hell _ ?” Jackson exclaimed, words strangled on the clear betrayal in his words. He seemed more disappointed that she hadn’t told him than in the fact that she was with her T.O., a clear and gross ethical violation. 

“This is… unexpected,” Nolan said, that dumb puppy look on his face that Lucy was so familiar with.

Tim, his large hands cupped around Lucy’s hips, looked to Lucy, her arms wrapped tightly around Tim’s trim waist, and both immediately shot apart as though their uniforms had caught fire. 

But it was too late now. 

The damage had been done. 

“Well, you see…” Tim trailed off, sheepish, scratching at the back of his neck. 

Hard ass Tim Bradford was  _ embarrassed _ . And he didn’t know how to handle it. 

“… I thought I saw--” Lucy began, about to craft some very tenuous lie, but Jackson cut her off, thumbing at his own bottom lip. 

“Your lip gloss…” 

Lucy’s hands shot up as she spun to look at the two way mirror. 

Well hell. Smeared. Messily smeared. To the point there was no explaining their way out of this one. 

They were caught. 

“You can’t tell anyone,” Lucy spun back around to face her two closest friends. The desperation dripped from her voice and the tension in her shoulders. She took a few steps forward, pleading. “Please, you can’t…” 

Both men looked startled. Their heads turned to look at each other, and then back to her, in sync. 

“Come on, I would’ve thought you’d think better of us,” Nolan replied. “Especially after… you know…” His eyebrows arched before resuming their normal position. Lucy knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“And if you think I’d narc on my best friend over something as innocuous as this, then you don’t really know me, do you?” 

Lucy hated how hurt her best friend sounded, but even with Jackson, she had to know. She couldn’t take a risk. 

“I’m sorry, I just…” 

“We get it, Luce,” Nolan jumped in. 

“How long has this been going on?” Jackson asked. 

Lucy looked back at Tim, who looked as uncomfortable as the criminals that usually sat in this room. Poor guy. 

“Not long,” Lucy grimaced. “Just a few weeks.” 

“You’re lucky we weren’t Grey,” Jackson grumbled. “Really damn lucky.” 

Lucy’s gaze fell to the floor in a nod. “I know, this was not a great idea.” 

“ _ Ya think _ ?” 

Lucy grimaced again.

Then, the most awkward silence she’d ever experienced fell over the room. Just four people, looking at each other, and then quickly looking away because they didn’t know how to deal. 

Tim cleared his throat, and hopped to, moving towards the door blocked by the two rookies. “Right, so, Officer Chen, I’m gonna start on the paperwork--” 

“Hang on a second,” Nolan held his hand up, as if he was about to press it against Tim’s chest to stop him. Luckily, Tim stopped before that could happen. He looked between Nolan and Nolan’s hand, his face thunderous, getting more frustrated by the second. Tim didn’t like to feel trapped, Lucy knew this, and especially didn’t like it when someone called him into question, which Nolan was clearly about to do. “What are your intentions with our Lucy?” 

The die had been cast. No going back. Both Jackson and Nolan seemed to realize this, and uneasily fell into it, squaring their stances and folding their arms over their chests in a very Tim Bradford move.

_ Oh for fuck’s sake _ . 

“Guys, this isn’t Puritan New England,” Lucy scoffed, though a part of her thought it was adorable that her friends were looking out for her like this. 

“Your intentions, please…  _ sir _ ,” Jackson added the title almost as an afterthought. 

Lucy knew Tim rolled his eyes, though she couldn’t see them. “My intentions with Lucy are honorable.” 

“Mhm,” Nolan hummed, sizing Tim up in a way he hadn’t before. “You can swear to not taking advantage of Lucy’s inferior position as a rookie to yours as T.O.?”

“Nolan!” Lucy exclaimed, not much liking the implication of his words. 

Finally, Tim looked at her. He turned his head, giving her the softest of smiles. He was telling her it was okay. That it would all be okay. 

“I swear to you, Boot.” Tim began, with as much vehemence as Lucy had ever heard him speak. “I have never and would never take advantage of my position as a superior officer to coerce or manipulate Lucy in any way.” 

Lucy felt her chest warm and her heart swell. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Which was why she was unprepared for what happened next.

“And you, Lucy Chen. Do you swear that you would never take advantage of your superior for personal gain?” 

Nolan looked apologetic, but she understood the line of questioning. It was only fair she be asked. 

“If the only personal gain of taking advantage of my superior officer is to be happier than I’ve been in a long time, then no. I don’t swear.” 

Tim turned to her, and she watched as he barely suppressed a smile, his fingers hooked casually around his belt in that sexy way that he pulled off so well.

“Well,” Jackson cleared his throat. “Okay then, I think… I think we can go now, right, Nolan?” 

“Yeah, definitely, I’m satisfied. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.”

The two of them couldn’t get away fast enough. It would’ve been down right hysterical if Lucy had been paying attention. Instead, she’d been unable to look anywhere but the luminescent smile gracing Tim “Hardass” Bradford’s face. 

Stupidly handsome man. 

“Did you mean that?” He asked softly, even though they were now the only two in the room. 

Lucy crossed the short distance between them, grabbed Tim’s hand, and dragged him into the deserted hallway and into the observation room. At least this way, they could not be spied on, and this time, she’d lock the door. 

“I meant it, yes,” Lucy replied, pressing her palm to Tim’s chest to push him against the secured door. 

His smile turned absolutely wide and goofy, causing those little flutters to start up in her stomach again. God damn him. 

“I make you happy?” His words were barely audible, meant for her ears only. 

“Yes, Sergeant Bradford, you make me  _ very _ happy.” 

Tim crouched down, softly claiming Lucy’s lips. It was the type of kiss that would cause her toes to curl, her foot to pop up like in the old movies. 

Yeah, she was glad Tim hadn’t wanted to wait. 

“Wait a minute.” 

Record scratch much?

“Hmm?” Lucy’s eyes fluttered open, disappointment a bucket of cold water over her head. 

“What was that with Nolan earlier?” 

“What?” She asked, confused, wanting to get back to the kissing thing. By her calculation, they had a few more minutes of alone time before they had to get back out on the road for the last leg of their shift.   


“That look… that moment between you and Nolan a few minutes ago. There was something there…” 

Why in the hell did Tim look concerned?  _ Jealous _ ?

“I’m still confused…” 

Tim huffed, resting his head back against the door with a thud, eyes closing as if he was asking for thoughts and prayers to keep it together. 

“‘Especially after… you know…’,” Tim repeated in near perfect imitation of Nolan, eyebrow movements and everything. 

Lucy felt her face heat.

“Um…” 

“Boot…” Tim leveled, leaving no room whatsoever for her to try to get out of this one either. 

Shit. Well, it was bound to come out sooner or later. 

“Nolan and I… we had a thing…” 

Tim’s eyebrows furrowed, his blue eyes darkening. “What kind of  _ thing _ ?” 

There went those little flutters again. Caveman!Tim should  _ not _ be this hot.

“You know, a casual thing,” Lucy said with a shrug. 

“A  _ casual _ thing?” His voice sounded like it pitched upward, and if he didn’t look so concerned, Lucy would’ve laughed at his reaction.

“We slept together, Tim. We pseudo-dated. But it ended. We both wanted different things, and we had different focuses when it came to the job.

“I’m sorry, I’m still hung up on the general fact that  _ you and Nolan _ …” 

Tim looked  _ shook _ .

Lucy couldn’t help it. She laughed then. She laughed and laughed. Tim’s expression only grew more humorous the more she cackled. It was quite adorable. 

When he looked like he was ready to huff off in a tizzy, Lucy grasped his face between her palms, bringing his gaze to her eye level. 

“Tim Bradford… what does it matter now? That’s in the past. You… you are my present. And hopefully, my continued future.” The last part might have been said with a bit of insecurity, but Lucy had long learned to be herself with Tim. Besides, even if she wasn’t open, he knew anyway. That’s just how in tune they were. 

He looked satisfied with this, and nodded. 

“Yes, I want to be your continued future. A very long future.” 

Lucy shivered, absolutely loving when his voice dropped an octave, deep and breathy, and just for her. 

“Good answer,” she grinned, before claiming his lips as her own.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Twitter @JGoose753 and Tumblr @JGoose13.


End file.
